To Sleep or to Recycle? It’s not a Question at all.

Eurodap is the European Association of Study on Panic Docking Disorders. Experts recommend to change the bed mattress every 10 years in order to mantain proper posture during sleep. Maybe they don’t know that we can help the environment by sleeping. Do you think it’s a dream? Open up your eyes and read on.

RetourMatras and Auping are two Dutch mattress producers. In 2011 they launched the so-called “Take-back system”. When Auping delivers a new mattress, they withdraw the old one and hand it to RetourMatras, that separates and recycles the various components. Metal parts are attracted by magnets, and then bound to the steel industry. Latex pads are compressed in 300-kg bales that are subsequently cut into different shapes, to be used by as a filler component or for gym mats. Polyester is recycled as acoustic insulation. The fabric that covers mattresses is recycled by Aupin to cover new mattresses.

The raw materials used to produce mattresses come from abroad, and they often have a long way to go before they reach their destination. For example, latex comes mainly from Malesian and Sri Lanka forests. It would be much more convenient -and would make more sense- to take latex from the thousands of mattresses crammed into our disposal plants. In the Netherlands 1,5 million mattresses are disposed every year, while in Italy and France the number is much larger, 5 million mattresses per year. The choice made buy RetourMatras and Auping is a fine example of circular economy. The two companies state that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by their production cycle is half of the amount emitted by traditional production, and that they are able to recycle 95% of old mattresses.

Maybe we couldn’t find the cure for insomnia, but now you know that even a small gesture like buying a mattress is a powerful way to help the environment. Stay informed and choose. Sweet dreams to you all!